Moscow, October 12, Interfax - An
independent Kosovo would lead to an irreparable tragedy for all of Europe,
Bishop Artemije of Ras-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija has said.
"I would compare an independent Kosovo to a cancer, which would affect all of
Europe, not only the regions surrounding it," Bishop Artemije said at a press
conference at the Interfax main office in Moscow on Thursday.
In the seven years the peacekeeping contingent has been present in Kosovo, that
province "has become a European black hole where crime, drugs, weapons, and
human trafficking thrive," he said.
"An independent Kosovo would become a base for extremist forces, and its
separation from Serbia would lead to the complete elimination of the Christian
community and all traces of the thousand-year history of Christianity in that
area," he said.
Since the moment the KFOR contingent arrived in Kosovo, over 150 Orthodox
churches and monasteries there have been destroyed. In the same period, over 400
mosques have been built in that territory with financial support from Saudi
Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries, he said.
In addition, 250,000 Serbs have been expelled from Kosovo, over 1,300 Serbs have
been killed and about as many have gone missing, Bishop Artemije said. Tens of
thousands of Serbian homes and hundreds of villages have been destroyed over
this time, he said.
"The time of persecutions and fear continues for the Serbs and other
non-Albanian ethnic groups," he said.
Copyright 2006 InterFax News Agency
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